2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Takeaways
The 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was introduced to the Formula 1 calendar as a one-off race in 2020 to replace the Chinese Grand Prix when the pandemic happened. Lewis Hamilton secured the inaugural race in 2020, while Max Verstappen took the second race in 2021. This year’s contest featured the first Sprint Race of the season. It was a wet-dry weekend for the drivers, which amplified the excitement.
That said, Nitrobetting gets into the details of the latest event, covering the three biggest takeaways of the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Top 3 Takeaways from 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
It was an emotional roller coaster of a weekend ??@lawrobarretto steers you through all the highs and lows #ImolaGP #F1 https://t.co/DES5XEaLVW
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 25, 2022
A Red Bull weekend
Red Bull dominated the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez closing the race with a 1-2 finish. The Dutchman took maximum points after leading Saturday’s Sprint Race. He also scored an extra point after recording the fastest lap on Sunday.
Verstappen said after the race, “Today, you never know with the weather how competitive you are going to be but I think we did very well and this one-two is very deserved.”
The defending world champion, who started the race at the very front of the pack, coped well with the wet start. He did well to stay out of trouble for much of the race for some much-needed points. Verstappen closed the gap at the top of the driver standings to 27 points. Meanwhile, Sergio Perez snatched second place after Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spun off the track. The incident also allowed Lando Norris to squeeze in and finish P3 by the end of the race.
As it stands, Max Verstappen holds second place in the 2022 Driver Standings. Leclerc, despite a disappointing end to the Scuderia’s home race, managed to work his way back to a P6 and eight extra points.
The Constructor Standings look tighter following Red Bull’s 1-2 finish at the Emilia Romagna GP. They profited from the two consecutive DNFs of Carlos Sainz and are now 11 points behind Ferrari, 124 to 113, in the Constructor Standings.
A disappointing home race for the Scuderia
The stands featured a sea of red as Ferrari enjoyed its first of two home races in 2022. However, it was a challenging weekend for the team as they struggled to keep up with Red Bull’s pace. Charles Leclerc gave up a few places despite starting from P2 on the grid. He conceded positions to Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and McLaren’s Lando Norris as Verstappen had enough space to open up the gap at the front.
A late move from Ferrari Saw the Monegasque driver opt for softer tires as he chased down Perez for P2 on Lap 53. But, Leclerc hit the Variante Alta curb with more pace than anticipated, forcing his F1-75 to spin into the barriers. Although only his front wing took most of the toll, this forced him to another pitstop for a nose swap and go down several places. He eventually recovered from P9 to finish P6 in the race.
“It is a big shame,” Leclerc said. “The spin should not have happened today. I mean, P3 was the best I could do, we didn’t have the pace for much more and I was too greedy and I paid the price for it and lost seven potential points compared to my third place I was before.
“It is a shame, it’s seven points that are valuable at the end of the championship. For sure, this shouldn’t happen again.” he added.
Leclerc’s blunder came after Ferrari had endured Carlos Sainz’s retirement. The Spaniard spun into the Tamburello gravel pin on the very first lap after tire contact with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo. Despite claiming P4 on the grid in the Sprint, the slow getaway from Sainz left him battling positions with the Australian driver.
Hamilton out of the points
P13 is unfamiliar territory for the seven-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton. Although he insists that the team’s current woes haven’t affected his duties and commitment to the team, he looks forward to turning things around before mid-season. Hamilton spent the majority of his career fighting at the front of the grid, but the 2022 season introduces more challenges to the British driver one race after the other.
It was George Russell who delivered the goods for Mercedes last weekend. He enjoyed an impressive start and advanced seven places to P4 as the checkered flag waved. Russell did well to hold off ex-Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas, who now sports the Alfa Romeo colors. The late duel sparked some thrilling moments in the latter stages of the race, but the Silver Arrow triumphed in the end.
The 24-year-old British driver dropped down to fourth place in the driver standings with 49 points. As a team, the Mercedes duo bagged 77 points in four races and grabs third place in the Constructors Championship title race.
F1 heads out to the United States of America after a two-week break to kick off the first-ever Miami Grand Prix.
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